The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-03-16
A WONDERFUL FORMATION.
PECULIAR BACTERIAN GROWTH
ON A YOUNG GIRL.

A Frog Growing on the Side of the
Little Maids Head-The Moth
er's Story.
A recent number of the st. Louis Re
publican says DR. E. Younkin, the we'll
known practitioner and editor of the
American Medical Journal, returned yes
Uerday from a professional trip to Illinois,
wherein he was confronted with one of
the most remarkable cases in the history
of medical practice. To Republican re-
porter the doctor last night gave the fol-
lowing account of the case "a few
days ago was called into Illinois, eighty
miles south of st. Louis and on learning
that there was peculiar case of moth
er's mark in the vicinity, l determined
to 90 and see it. When reached the coun-
try home, was shown pretty, vivacious
maiden of ten summers, with a mis-
chievous sparkle in her young eyes, and
something sitting on her head bearing a
strong resemblance to a frog or toad.
The little girl was perfectly formed and
had never been seriously i'll and was
pretty, but at the sight of this Informed
monsters head, looking out from the
seat of reason, ones first impulse is to
shrink from it and shudder as one
brought suddenly to confront a reptile.
drew near, however, and examined and
was convinced. Near the top of the
head, on the left parietal bone, there
was patch destitute of hair, in the cen
tire of which was situated the toad. I
looked again and it appeared more like
frog when it floats on the smooth surface
of the water, with its head and shoulders
in sight"
"Has it eyes, legs and a mouthg'
"Well, the front half of the little ami
NAL was above the general contour of
the scalp, but the legs seemed to be
buried in the Uranium, Just as they
would be in water if the animal was
swimming. The head and mouth are
we'll defined, but the eyes are missing"
"You say the mouth is well definedln
eyes, sir; l opened it with my own
fingers, and felt almost afraid it would
bite me, although the teeth were not
visible. There was mucous substance
perceptible, that added much to its nat
turalness, and left an impression that it
could cat, just the same as any other
mouth
''What is the exact position of this
additional head on the child's head?"
1T is situated on the left side, on the
parietal bone, rather near the top of the
head, and when one sits on the right
side of the little girl and looks at the
frog, it looks for all the world as if it
contemplated springing directly into the
| beholder's face"
''How large is this bacterian growth?"
"At present it is about half the size of
the natural frog or toad, and for half an
inch around its body there is smooth,
| epithelial border, destitute of the hairy
growth of the scalp. The remainder of
the head was covered with thick COW
ering of auburn hair, and the little girl
seemed even prouder of her 'toady as
she called it. than she did of her beauti-
full locks"
''Of what color is the frog"
''The color is that of the true skin,
but the parents informed me that during
a wet or rainy time. or seasons of even
cloudy weather, it turned little purple,
as if wanting to take to water, its natu-
raj element
is the sense of touch communicated
freely from this to the brain?"
Eyes, the sympathy is complete, and
probe or puncture of 'toady' pro-
duces pain as instantly as would be
caused by touching any other member. "
''Do you think this incubus can be
removed, or has it a vascular connection
that would make that operation unsafe2"
1T has no vascular connection, as is
often the case in sim lar freaks, but can
be removed at any time without danger.
| offered to remove it, and guaranteed
complete and speedy restoration, but the
little girl objected to parting with her
pet, and some country physicians had
told her parents that it would not be
safe to remove it, and so they objected"
Chow do you explain this curiosity2"
"Well, sir, it has long been question
among the medical fraternity as to
whether there was any such thing as a
mothers mark, and have heretofore
been doubling Thomas, but since have
seen this, and heard the mothers story,
/ will come down off the fence and ad-
NIT that it is possible for the mental to
make lasting impression upon the phys
ical nature
What is the mothers storyP
"SImply this: She states that while
walking through a wood she accident
ally stepped on toad, which gave her a
great fright She was at the time bare
foot, and at first thought It was a snake
AS she looked down she saw the toad
sticking half way from beneath her foot
with its head protruding, This was un-
doubtedly the reason of the mark on the
head of the child"